Oh. So I thought I knew all there was to know about sun exposure and eye protection. Recently, I was asked to participate in a webinar, along with other fitness bloggers, sponsored by the Vision Council. The title of the webinar was Healthy Bodies, Healthy Eyes: Protecting Vision from UV Radiation. Dr Justin Bazan, OD, talked to participants about eye protection while staying active. Dr Bazan presented some facts, which made me realize I am in pretty good company about not wearing sunglasses when I run. In fact, only 21% of Americans always wear sunglasses during fitness activities, like running and biking. Turns out I'm in the 79% who wear them "sometimes".
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I wear wrap around glasses when I bike. These are my glasses from Smith optics. I have the rose colored lenses in for the overcast day. |
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These are the wrap around Optic Nerve glasses I received from the Vision Council. I'm wearing them with the reflective lenses. |
Each pair of my sport sunglasses includes a clear lens. Common sense would tell you that the clear lenses don't offer any UV protection, and that the darker pair have the most UV protection, but that isn't the case. All three lenses offer the same amount of UV protection, regardless of the tint. Who knew? Dr Bazan told us that dark lenses don't offer any more UV protection than the clear lenses, and they may even make you lose contrast in low light conditions. Nothing like tripping over a crack in the sidewalk or something, right?
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I wear mirrored lenses on the water, to decrease reflection. Plus I love this aviator frame. |
Why should athletes wear sunglasses? Dr Bazan encouraged us to think of sunglasses as "sunblock for the eyes". You can literally sunburn your eyeballs. The medical term is "photokeratitis", and it can be quite painful. Long term damage from UV exposure includes premature aging of the skin around the eyes, cataracts, macular degeneration, and even cancer. You can also develop a pterygium in your eye (and it's a gnarly as it sounds), which is a growth on the surface of your eye. Ewww. There is no treatment for this.
Makes me want to wear sunglasses at night!
June 27 is National Sunglasses Day! The Vision Council wants to encourage everyone to increase awareness of eye issues related to UV damage. They are hoping everyone will post a selfie on social media with the hastag #sunglassselfie .
I was asked by the Vision Council to participate in this webinar in exchange for a blog post. I did receive a swag bag with sunglasses, as well as a cooling towel and other accessories, as a gift from the Vision Council.
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My swag bag included all these goodies! |
Do you wear sunglasses when you workout? Do you have different types of sunglasses for your activities?
I wear glasses 95 % of the time that I run outside. I can't stand squinting, for one, and here it can get so glarey. I'm thinking about investing in a pair of clearer ones for days when I'm running and just want to keep bugs out of my eyes. And I have sunglasses stashed around my life so that I'm always ready!
ReplyDeleteI need to get better about wearing them on the run. I wear them for everything else.
DeleteI wear sunglasses most of the time when I run....I am a wrinkle-phobic and I have sensitive eyes that water easily. These glasses look nice...I'm jealous! The swag looks neat, too. I need a pair of clear ones for evening running (bug shield) LOL
ReplyDeleteThe only time I don't wear them is on the run. Bad, I know...
DeleteAs you can tell from my photos, I almost always wear sunglasses when I run. My vision is poor enough already - I want to keep it good for as long as I can! I'm always so surprised by how few runners wear sunglasses. I've bought them at race expos.
ReplyDeleteThe ones that I received for this post are light enough that I think I could tolerate them on the run. I'll have to try and see!
DeleteI always wear sunglasses for outdoor workouts. The pair I wear most I got at a bike shop and the lenses auto-adjust to the brightness.
ReplyDeleteI need to be better at this!
DeleteI wear sunglasses almost all of the time, even if its only a tad bit sunny/borderline cloudy.
ReplyDeleteI wear them all the time except when I run. Oops!
DeleteI never wear sun glasses when I run or waterski (with the spray -- no way). While running, I want to be able to clearly see where I'm stepping. It's hard to see in dappled sunlight. I never could figure out how to keep them from fogging up and they ended up on top of my head anyway. I like your aviators. I just received a free pair and love them. FYI. I'm going to send you an email about something. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd what if you wipe out, while waterskiing? Say bye bye to the sunglasses!
DeleteI always wear sunglasses when I run even if it's cloudy. I wear light ones when I play tennis or run. Otherwise I wear the ones that look good.
ReplyDeleteI wear contacts and the light and wind dry out my eyes.
The only issue I have with my contacts is sometimes they get dust caught under them. Ouch!
DeleteAs a fair-skinned, freckled, blue-eyed gal, I have been encouraged to wear sunglasses as much as possible and my contact lenses have UV protection built in, as well. I have some polarized Ray Bans that I kick around in when I'm not running or doing anything where they might get lost/damaged - ha! - and then a Smith Optics pair that I run/play in. I've been known to run/race in sunglasses even when it's not that bright outside because, like Darlene mentioned above, the air dries out my contact lenses.
ReplyDeleteDuring the webinar, I asked if contacts protect the eye. Even with UV protection, they only protect the cornea, not the rest of the eye. So you could get that pterygium (pictured above). But I don't wear glasses when I run. Even tho I should.
DeleteI have never found a pair that are really comfortable. My hunt for the perfect glasses continue.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Optic Nerve pair that the Vision Council sent me, a lot! I haven't run in them yet.
DeleteI had never really stopped to think about the function of sunglasses (I certainly pick them for fashion over purpose). Thanks for the great read and education!
ReplyDeleteIt was a really interesting webinar! I learned a few new things.
DeleteI always wear sunglasses when running outside, even when it's cloudy. I have red hair and freckles, so I have to take all the precautions I can when it comes to the sun! Those glasses with interchangeable lenses are cool!
ReplyDeleteThe interchangeable lenses are a must for cycling!
DeleteI am actually trying to do this more mainly for allergy reasons.
ReplyDeleteBut the damage the sun does, I never thought of my poor eyes.
I wear sunglasses most of the time because well, the sun. But not when I'm running! I need to get better about that.
DeleteI learned a lot from the webinar. Really interesting!
ReplyDeleteMe too! This was a great opportunity for us!
DeleteI never wear sunglasses. Boo. But I LOVE the aviator ones you have in the picture above.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I love them too!
DeleteI need to make sure I wear them consistently. I usually wear a visor which is why I sometimes don't, but I should! Love the Optic Nerve pair! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't wear a hat or a visor and I should!
DeleteI don't even walk to my mailbox without my sunglasses (I wear Oakleys with both UVA an UVB protection). And then in Saturday's race it was pouring rain when I started so I left my sunglasses behind. Within no time the rain stopped, the sun came out, and I was miserable. Thankfully I had on my visor and that offered a little protection, but not nearly enough.
ReplyDeleteThose aviators I'm wearing are Oakleys! I'm a huge fan. The only time I don't wear sunglasses is when I run. For some reason, the sun doesn't bother me then.
DeleteI do wear sunglass when I workout. I have very sensitive eyes and don't want to damage them! Love your aviators! So cute!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to do a better job with this!
DeleteYes, UV protection is so important! My contacts have UV protection built in, and then I always make sure to wear sunglasses on my runs to protect my eyes, too. Not only are sunglasses great for UV protection, but they also help protect your eyes from stuff flying into them!
ReplyDeleteThat's mostly why I wear them on the bike...to protect my eyes from flying debris!
Deletegreat post! You make me want to run out and buy a new pair of sunglasses and I just might! I need a pair of those aviators for sure!!! I don' wear my glasses o run either but 98% of the time I am in and way before 8am- but good to know now that is my deadline. Thanks for sharing all this great info and Happy Saturday!
ReplyDeleteI think this is the perfect excuse to get some new shades. Gotta protect the eyes!
DeleteI run and ride with sunglasses, especially on the trail because I have had WAY too many bugs in my eyes experiences to count. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too! I was glad to find out that the clear lenses on my Smiths have UV protection just like the tinted lenses!
DeleteI do wear sunglasses every time I run unless it's a zero dark thirty run!
ReplyDeleteI need to do that!
DeleteIf the sun is up I run with sunglasses. Love the aviators.
ReplyDeleteThankyou! I love them too!
DeleteI absolutely did not know all this stuff about sun damage to the eyes! Thankfully, I almost always wear my sunnies when I'm out and about. I just can't stand the squinting and headaches I get when I don't have them on. Plus, they hide the massive bags under my eyes from not sleeping enough :)
ReplyDeleteWell, there you go! Another good reason to wear shades!
DeleteWow, thanks for sharing this info. I run with my regular eyeglasses - at they do have UV protection.
ReplyDeleteBefore this webinar, I never knew that untinted lenses could have UV protection. I've been wearing glasses my whole life! Live and learn, I guess.
DeleteThat's so scary! You remind me that I need to get my skin checked. I'm not at all good about sunscreen. I"m much better about the sunglasses.
ReplyDeleteLove love love this post!! My dermatologists husband died from Melanoma in his eye so now I make sure to wear sunglasses! Love that you're educating the masses!
ReplyDeleteOh no! I've never heard of that happening. How awful! I'm so glad that you found this post useful!
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